Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-04-30
SOUTHERN PACIFIC ROBBERY.
Further Particulars of the Big Haul In
Arizona-Kewards offered.

Further Particulars of the Big Haul In
ACCOMPLISHMENTS offered
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL, April 29.-An
audacious and successful train robbery
occurred Wednesday night on the South
err Pacific, near Tucson. A west-bound
express was stopped near Pappsgo sta
ton, eighteen miles east of Tucson. Five
men signalled the train to stop with a red
lantern. They had also placed obstruc-
lions on the track. As soon as the train
stopped the robbers opened fire on the
train and boarded the engine. The pas
sengers were not molested, but the
express car and mail pouches were riied
Of their contents. Several thousand dol
lars were secured by the robbers. I'm
mediately upon receipt of the news at the
office of the Southern Pacific Company in
this city A. n. Town, general manager,
issued the following circular:
"The mail and express cars on our
west-b bound express train when at point
seventeen miles east of Tucson, ct 10
O'Clock last night, was stopped ana
robbed by four or five men. The South
ern Pacific Company hereby offers re-
ward * of $1,000 for the arrest
and conviction of the robbers, which
is ia addition to Ike reward
offered by the Wells-Fargo Express. In
addition to this the United States post
office department has a standing reward
OF $500 each for the arrest and conviC-
ton of persons who are engaged in rob-
bing the mails"
From Information received by him,
General Manager Town said in reference
a. IL
fired from the band of robbers into the
car after the train had been brought to a
stop. When the train came to stand
still the engineer and fireman were or
dered to get off the engine. Then they
were each given stick of gun powder
(giant) and told that they must compel
the mail agent and express messenger to
open their cars Or the robbers would
with revolVers compel them to light the
dynamite and destroy the cars. Under
these threats the express messenger and
mail agent then abandoned the cars. The
robbers then uncOupled the locomotive,
express and mail cars from the train and
ran down the track two miles. There
they stopped and took all the money
tanned from Wells-FRrgo & Co.,
were moIested. The robbers did not en-
ter the passenger cars"
Additional particulars state that the
mail car was also rihed. When the news
was carried back TO Rantono, United
States Marshal Mead, with two deputy
sheriffs and two otheIs, started after the
train. The locomotive and cars were
found at g Whistling post about one mile
CT Of d., /
The headlight was put out. There was
no trace Of the robbers. Marshal Mead
sent his deputies to Fort Lewis and
thirty-ive soldiers responded to scour
the country Officer Harris was expected
to arrive soon, and another party with
Indian traitors was expected to arrive
from Ydma to hunt for the robbers. Col
onel Wilder, superintendent of the mail
service, said he had received a dispatch
from Mail Agent True, stating that the
agents were given inst one and q
half minutes to get out under
threats of being blown up with
dynamite, and they Immediately got out.
The express messenger saved $4,000 from
the robbers by hastily hiding it. The ex-
tent of the mail robbery is not yet known.
The express car WAS running light on the
trip. Inc total rewards OnerGQ 1Or Jne
apprehension of the robbers aggregates
5000 for each robber.
ON THE TRAIL.
BENSON, A. T., April 29.-IntelligenCe
has been received that the trail of the
robbers has been spotted, and that it Will
only be q question of time before they
will be captured. The officers do not
wish to make immediate arrests for fear
of insufficient evidence. United States
Marshal Mead has telegraphed to
the mail authorities at Washington
urging them to offor an additional large
reward which, if the request is complied
with, will almost insure the capture and
quick conviction. 1t is now reported
that special officers have been in Ell Paso
for several days watching for this occur
renee to take place in that 10
cality, being forewarned by ont
siders who got an inkling
of the fact that an attempt would be
made somewhere on the line of the road,
hut the robbers took time by the fore
lock, showing unusual safety in making
raid in this vicinity where hardly anyone
suspected such an AFFAIR would take
Mace